Anchor Down

In my business there is a big difference between anchoring yourself to a product that you win and lose with day in and day out, versus affiliating yourself to the product that you believe gives yourself the best chance to win on that particular day. When you anchor you create: loyalty, credibility, stability, constancy, and believability in both your company and the product in which you're anchored to. Competitors envy you and strive to one day be like you, and potential business partners line up to join you.

There is something special about a business relationship joined this tightly. Sure, it has it's ups and downs and good and bad days........as any close relationship both in an out of business does. But the uniqueness of this relationship allows it to not waiver.

We see glimpses of these partnerships in the common marketplace. One that comes to mind is the early partnership between Apple (and their life changing IPhone) and AT&T. Tons of consumers switched phone carriers simply to own the iPhone. Now, this was unique in that AT&T was not exclusive to Apple, which later ended their exclusivity as Apple was made available through Verizon.

This is one example, and each has it's own unique structure and agreement dynamics. But in the end, its hard to argue the value in choosing a company to live and die with, and staying true. A truly loyal partner will make you more successful than the "company of the day" strategy ever will.

** New Orleans is unlike any other city that I travel to, and I can never make up my mind whether I want to spend more time here or not. There are so many things that I like and dislike about it..........but there is no doubt that the food alone is worth the trip.